Hi Pat,

If US banks are anything like Aussie banks, transfers are not instantaneous (it usually takes two working days for a transfer to make it through the bank here).

I have PayPal linked to a credit card and have never had any problem at all over 6 years. I am incredibly impressed with PayPal.

Personally, I generally don't trust businesses with my credit card details as once they have those, they can freely use my credit card without my permission whenever and however they want. My view is that by giving a business my credit card details, I'm relying entirely on their integrity not to take advantage of me. I find it difficult to trust unknown people to that extent. If a business chooses to take advantage of me via credit card fraud, there would be very little that I could do in relation to a global purchase so I avoid placing myself in that situation. (PG Music is an exception. I trust them completely.)

For me, PayPal is a line of defense when I make non-local purchases. Using PayPal allows me: a) to verify the payment amount so that ONLY the advertised amount is paid and, if prices do not match, to decline the payment and thus opt out of the sale; (b) to keep ALL my credit card details (especially the security number) away from those who might use such information for their personal gain.

I mention all the above simply as a way of saying that my credit card has been well looked after by PayPal.

Regards,
Noel